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Well, I just beat Kingdom Hearts II, and since I did entries for the other pieces of II.5 I figured I’d do one for this too. This is my fifth time playing the game, so I don’t really have that many new feelings, there were just a few miscellaneous things I thought of.

(Contains spoilers for II, coded, and 3D)

Spoiler

At the end of KH II, Roxas and Namine reunite with Sora and Kairi, and there’s a wonderful closure to it, I think. They seem happy, and whole. Then Re:coded comes out and Data Namine suddenly says they’re “hurting” and need to be rescued? What happened? Is this just one of those “the fans want Roxas and Namine back and active so we’re going to reopen that whole thing” things? Though maybe Roxas giving his memories to Sora in 3D means they’re abandoning that? Axel was also shown in Re:coded’s end, but he respawned as Lea so I don’t think he really needs any rescuing. Aqua, Terra, and Ventus, yeah, they definitely do. And…wait, wasn’t there another character in that scene? Hm, I forget.

I also (finally) noticed that the series has moved away from having final battles against monstrous war machines. Not to speak ill of the other final bosses—each one has great importance and none of them are particularly easy, but they’ve stopped being on a physically grand scale like Ansem’s World of Chaos and Xemnas’s Dragoon Ship. It’s not really necessary, but…I don’t know, there’s just something cool about taking down a living battle cruiser that I want to experience anew. Hm, maybe KH III’s Attraction Flow opens up a stronger possibility for this returning…?

And now I want to replay 3D. I really shouldn’t, though, with school starting, and wanting to do all the extra stuff in II and BBS, and new games coming out in the coming months, and that game from months ago I bought but haven’t finished, and that new copy of Mega Man Star Force I bought because it was $7 and I am weak, and… *sigh*

Anyway, II.5 is great, I recommend it. I have a feeling it’s going to influence my next name change again…

Overview: The Exorcist’s ability has been translated as “Never Happened”, and allows them to undo turns. This can be done by setting HP, MP, or BP of a target back to what it was one to three turns ago. This abilities are said to have a fairly low MP cost.

Personal Thoughts: Sounds like a super broken hybrid of Time Mage and White Mage. Not that I’m complaining (though Geist is creepy as heck and will haunt my nightmares). Well, okay, part of me wonders if this Job will be a little redundant, but Square is going to add it to the demo out now in Japan, so hopefully we’ll soon be able to see how it functions and how it sets itself apart.

What a coincidence: I just got the Asterisk Guide caught up, and Square Enix gives us some new info, including a new Job! This newcomer is the Exorcist Job, which has the ability to go back in time and negate turns. This functions primarily by resetting the target’s HP to what it was up to three turns ago; other uses remain to be seen. I should be able to make a barebones Asterisk Guide that I can post tomorrow.

The remaining info was some fairly random bits. The staff members joked about how the localization team was going to have a hard time translating Amy Matchlock’s dialect; the reason Magnolia is fluent in English (in the Japanese version)/French (in the English version) is because everyone on the Moon speaks that language (haha okay); and EDEA IS CONFIRMED TO RETURN! No real details, BUT EDEA’S BACK THIS IS MRGRGREAT.

It’s funny because I was just wondering when we were going to get more news—the game is releasing in about three months and I feel like what we know about it is a little on the low side. I mean, of course they’re not going to detail everything pre-release, but…I love knowing things!

EDIT: Also there seems to be some bit about the rebuild the moon minigame. Like Norende, there are Enemies you can fight, but now you'll be able to use battleships to weaken them before you fight...? Apparently this (and the Exorcist Job) are going to be added to the demo so it should be clearer soon.

Overview: A master of bows who can take down any kind of foe. As a Ranger levels up, they learn new Hunting commands that deal x1.5 damage to certain families of enemies (bugs, dragons, undead, etc), making it a great command set to master and equip on whatever physical powerhouse Job you like. The Targeting command it starts out with does x1.25, but pierces Default, letting it deal lots of damage right from the start. Mastering it will give you the Multiburst command, unleashing four attacks at once to pummel your enemy into defeat!

Personal Thoughts: How did I miss this? In going back over old articles, I noticed that it was mentioned that there was concern that Tomahawk might pose a threat to Ranger’s inclusion, but Asano, the producer, said that Ranger will be in Bravely Second! We don’t have any images of Magnolia in the Job yet, so I’ll use an image from Bravely Default for now. So, Ranger! As I said, Hunting commands are pretty nice no matter which Job you’re using, and they’re cheap MP-wise. Multiburst is an express lane to wonderful memories of Dual Wield-Spellblade-Rapid Fire (if a little less broken). With support abilities like Paralyze Immunity and Hawkeye for perfect accuracy, even if Ranger isn’t your preferred Job, it’s still one you want to invest in for its parts (I’m sure that’s something we can all relate to ), so I’m happy it’s coming back. I do hope we ditch the pelt helmets for the FF classic Robin Hood attire, though.

Overview: We have been told that the Astrologer will use “Moon Magic”, which consists of powerful buffs including an ability known as "Element Barrier". Very little information is known.

Personal Thoughts: Since Performer and Astrologer are both buff-focused, I’m curious to see how they will be differentiated. I find it odd that we’ve been told so little about the Asterisk holder—just that he’s a mysterious fortune teller—and since the Astrologer’s command is “Moon Magic”, I have to wonder if he’s related to Magnolia somehow. That could be interesting! I do like the general look of this Job, though I’m wondering what that weird contraption on the chest is supposed to be. Plus, the old man’s floating star halo is nostalgic. I guess he’s mastered the Job already!

I decided to sit down and watch the Re:coded cinematics in Kingdom Hearts II.5 today. Coincidentally, I just saw a post on another site reminding us of that tiny bit of trivia regarding its origins, and it also had a link to an article which I perused.

One line that stood out to me was one of the staff members being interviewed who, reflecting on the initial pitch of coded, said, "At first the plan seemed terrible, but at the same time interesting." And I'm laughing because that's really all you need to know about coded.

...Well, okay, that's a bit oversimplified. There were some neat things that got to me while I was watching, and if you have some spare time, sure, it's worth taking a look at. If you get the relevance of all the things its referencing, at least. And, really, a large amount of the dialogue is just strangely painful (and not in the wonderful way like BBS), and I feel like some of the voice acting is a bit off too. (Though I'll make special mention of Roxas, I thought he was voiced quite well.)

Anyway, in the end Re:coded is...not my cup of tea, though I will be trying to go easier on it in the future. I'll probably continue to parrot that line from the interview, though.

Overview: Cat Master works by, well…calling cats to the field! It seems this can be done in two ways: 1. Using the Job’s innate command to call out cats that will buff or debuff, and 2. Using cat food items dropped by enemies to call out cats that will launch an attack. Cat foods can also be combined for more powerful cats, though this ability is currently being rebalanced.

Personal Thoughts:I feel like I really shouldn’t be surprised. This Job certainly looks to lend a little extra silliness to the game, and I’m usually a fan of silliness in my JPRGs. Not to mention it does actually sound powerful and effective. I guess we’ll have to wait and see if there’s substance beneath this weird appearance.

Origin: Bravely Second (Many Final Fantasy games have had upgraded Mage classes with Wizard in their names—White Wizard, Red Wizard, etc—but the Wizard Asterisk seems to use unique abilities that set it apart as a new creation.)

Was It In Bravely Default?: No

Overview: Wizards use magic in two stages: select an element (Fire, Blizzard, Thunder), and then select a method of attack. Confirmed so far are Darts, Hammer, Blast, and Mist (causes steady damage over time like poison). This should provide a wide variety of attacks that can take advantage of foes’ weaknesses.

Personal Thoughts: Well, it sure sounds powerful! Everyone seems to be focusing mainly on the Elemental Mists, and I can see why: encounter a hoard of ice monsters, unleash a Fire Mist to burn them all over time. It sounds like Black Mage is going to have some serious competition as offensive magic Job. Wizard is playable in the demo currently out in Japan, so hopefully I'll be able to find more detailed data to update this soon.

Overview: Despite their name, katana are actually the preferred weapon of a Swordmaster. Their Bushido skills allow them to wield the blades expertly, predicting their enemies’ moves and preparing devastating counterattacks to throw them off-guard. A Swordmaster will also sometimes immediately counter after being attacked (or attack again after a standard attack) without using up any BP. And, for those able to master the way of the sword/katana, one of the most legendary abilities awaits you…

Personal Thoughts: While Swordmasters are clearly based on the Samurai of Final Fantasy fame, they’ve given up their traditional ability of throwing money at people (see Merchant (if that gets confirmed for Second I’ll even link it)) and instead focus on counters named after old sayings. Oh, and the beautifully broken Free Lunch ability you get for mastering the Job. (No MP cost, on anything, for two turns. Doesn’t cost any MP or extra BP to use. Combine this with a Pirate who has 4 BP and watch the endless carnage.) Kamiizumi is no pushover, and Swordmaster can be a bit tricky since it works best when you predict the enemy’s actions, but the Job is definitely worth the trouble. It’s also the source of Katana Lore, and the game’s strongest Katana (Ama-no-Murakumo) is the weapon with the best stats in the game, so…you definitely want to go for that. I’m super excited to see this Job returning, and I look forward to seeing how broken it will be in Bravely Second.